'I'm a food addict - my wife sprays bleach in the bin so I don't rummage for bread'

A desperate wife is forced to spray bread with bleach before throwing it in the bin to stop her ravenous husband from devouring discarded crusts in the middle of the night, a doctor says. The extraordinary step, exposed by one of Britain's most respected GPs, reveals the scale of the food addiction crisis now gripping Britain.

As many as 10 million are now thought to be hooked on junk food, despite knowing it contributes to a catalogue of killer conditions that has made the UK one of the sickest on Earth.

Dr David Unwin, Britain's most successful GP who has brought 200 patients back from the brink with low-carb diets to reverse Type 2 diabetes, said: "His wife said to me that this gentlemen, who owns a business, is so addicted to bread that she has been putting liquid detergent on any crusts that she puts in the bin. But then she said liquid detergent isn't enough to stop him eating it at night...the only thing that works is spray bleach.

"If you're not a food addict, this case helps to understand how desperate somebody may be, and this person has very poorly controlled diabetes, so it's a disaster."

Food addiction is characterised by six telltale signs: cravings and compulsions to consume; needing more and more; no control over the amount consumed; withdrawal symptoms when trying to cut down; continued use despite knowing behaviours are harmful; and neglecting professional and social interaction to feed the habit.

The five most problematic foods are pizza, chocolate, crisps, biscuits and ice cream. Yet despite mounting evidence it has not been classified as a harmful disorder by the World Health Organisation.

By 2030, Britain is set to become Europe's fattest country, with 37% of adults obese, according to the WHO. By 2040, estimates suggest more than 21 million UK adults will be obese - almost 4 in 10 of the population.

Rather than prescribing drugs like metformin to control blood sugar Dr Unwin's low-carb lifestyle approach has saved the NHS £400,000.

It sees patients eat nutritious and satiating food like green vegetables, meat, fish, eggs and dairy, that does not see blood sugar rocket.

Patients with food-related problems are told to avoid industrially-made 'beige' foods, like pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, and processed meats, crisps, snacks, and alcohol.

On average, those in his diabetes clinic lost 10% of their body weight (equal to one and a half stones) and maintained it for three years.

The medic and his team started offering the option 12 years ago in his surgery in Southport, Merseyside.

More than half of those who signed up are cured of the condition and medication-free.

Of those who had only had the condition for a year or less, 77% achieved drug-free remission. Among the patients who continued to need medication, 97% managed to get their diabetes symptoms under control.

Dr Unwin said: "The NHS will never be able to cope until we do something about demand by looking seriously at the prevention of chronic diseases.

"I believe we have eaten our way into a pandemic of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and chronic ill health. It is urgent we do something to help people understand that we are what we eat.

"In my practice we have seen an astonishing ten-fold increase in Type 2 diabetes since I started as a GP in 1986. In 40 years this cannot be genetic but an environmental problem with poor diet as the most likely culprit.

"I am convinced it has been caused by the dramatic increase in poor quality takeaway meals and run-away consumption of junk foods."

There are now almost 5 million Type 2 sufferers in the UK, while a similar number are thought to have it but are undiagnosed. A further 13 million are at risk.

Taken together, it means roughly one-third of the UK population has or is prone to the disease.

It is now being diagnosed routinely in children when 40 years ago it was almost exclusively a condition seen in the elderly and known as Diabetes.

The disease is diagnosed with a haemoglobin blood test known as an HbA1c, with the threshold being two readings of 48 or more. A reading of 42 or above is considered pre-diabetes.

Starchy foods like bread or potato are broken down into sugar by digestion but in people with the disease the hormone insulin - which regulates blood sugar - fails and sufferers become resistant to its effects. Blood sugar starts to rise, damaging circulation and blood vessels, causing inflammation. Sufferers are often overweight as livers become clogged with fat.

Before launching his pioneering service Dr Unwin had never heard of a single case of remission from Type 2 diabetes without drugs.

The NHS spends £15 billion a year servicing the condition, equal to £1 million every hour. Metformin is the most commonly prescribed diabetes medication.